The government and local authorities of Vietnam consider children, especially those in disadvantaged circumstances, a high priority. The entire month of June, named Month of Children by the state, is filled with activities throughout Vietnam to celebrate children. Children’s Day festivities are held in Heifer projects every year. Designed to raise awareness of responsibilities to advocate for children's rights, these events have gained popularity through the years. This year, International Children’s Day was held in projects in Binh Thanh and Thoi Thanh villages in Ben Tre province, Huyen Hoi village in Tra Vinh province, Tan Hung village in Soc Trang province, Chau Hung village in Bac Lieu province, and Minh Hoa village in Kien Giang province.
At this year's well-attended Children's Day in Tan Hung village, 90 children, accompanied by their parents, arrived early to decorate with colorful balloons and gifts. The children could not take their eyes off the candies, cookies, fruits and gifts. Excitement filled the air and the children became animated when the games began. Mrs. Quy, a project member, said, “This was the first time the children of the village enjoyed so much fun like this," as she watched the smiling children win prizes. "I hope that our children will have more similar chances for playing.”
Ngoc, a child in Chau Hung village, joyfully said, “In spite of heavy rain, I enjoyed playing with other fellows, because I usually stay at home, helping my parents with chores during summer. Today, I am granted 10 notebooks; this is the gift of encouragement for me to study well to requite the trust of my parents and Heifer’s care for us.”
This year marked Thoi Thanh village's third celebration of the annual event. A total of 105 project children participated in the celebration, which was held in the hall of Thoi Thanh People’s Committee. Notebooks were awarded to 30 children as a symbol of encouragement for their high academic achievements. Mr. Vo Van An, president of Thoi Thanh People’s Committee, spoke highly of the contributions made by Heifer’s project, which provided significant aid to the village's farmers and children and diversified the local social movements. “Thanks, Heifer, so much, for holding such healthy and joyful playing field for the children. This means so much for them and for their parents, and even for the local authority, as we, by ourselves, were unable to organize such a successful event.”